Eye health provisions of new health law remain on track for 2014 implementation

On July 2nd, the Obama administration announced that it was delaying until 2015 the effective date of penalties targeting large employers who do not provide health insurance coverage to their workers.

Although this decision represents a significant change to the President's timetable and approach toward implementation, the AOA is reporting that there has been no change in the law's full recognition of optometrists as providers of essential care or in how eye health care will be integrated into comprehensive health insurance coverage for children beginning in 2014. In fact, the AOA remains intently focused on the on-time implementation of the law's Federal ban on discrimination against ODs by health plans, including ERISA by plans, and the nationwide requirement that new health plans must cover an annual comprehensive eye exam through age 18.

Optometrists supporting and opposing the new health care law know that they can rely on the AOA as the best, most accurate and timely source for information on how OD practices will be impacted by it. For more information, AOA members can contact Jon Hymes, AOA Washington Office Director, at 1-800-365-2219 / jfhymes@aoa.org

Click here to view last week's presentation of the 2013 AOA Apollo Award to U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, the author of the new Federal ban on discrimination against optometrists by health plans.